Homefront Fall/Winter 2016 Newsletter

www.darlinghomeforkids.ca

Memories of SummerYour summer may have been filled with family BBQs, vacations, soaking up the sunshine, or playing golf. But this summer YOU did so much more, perhaps without even knowing it…

Golfing ‘Fore’

Residential Care

A Mom Who Does

It All

The Cedarbrook Society Charitable Registration No: 88852 4840 RR0001

Dreaming Big and

Pedalling Hard

What an Incredible Summer of Care Thanks to You!Over the eight weeks of summer, you helped us make a difference:

When you supported The Darling Home

for Kids, your summer was more jammed-

packed than you even knew. Did you know

that in addition to your list of summer

activities, you did a lot of AMAZING

things for me this summer?! Things you

may not even realize you did.

You helped build a fort out of parachutes,

so I could spend a rainy day laying

underneath all the colours of the rainbow.

Because of you, I cooled off on a hot

day out on the lawn with a water mister,

underwater mat, pool and water balloons.

I got messy playing with paint, showing my

creativity on the canvas…and on my shirt,

the table, the floor and that one little spot

on the wall (oops!).

You helped my mom rest her eyes and sleep!

I know the eight weeks of summer are long

and hard on her, and she wouldn’t have been

able to get through it without you.

You made it possible for my sister to go to

Canada’s Wonderland for the day. She

will never say it to me, but I know she

enjoys the moments with mom and dad

when she gets them all to herself. I know

I can take up more than my fair share of

their time.

It’s because of you that I had ooey gooey

s’mores at the fire pit, even before I ate my

dinner, and watched the stars.

www.darlinghomeforkids.ca

Memories of Summer

I also want to say thanks for all of the

friends that you sent my way! People

who like to sing, read me books, watch a

light show with me in the sensory room,

and who volunteer to hang out and

spend time with me.

You filled the hydrotherapy pool with

warm water to relax my tight muscles

and make my back feel better after

sitting in my wheelchair all day.

It’s because of you that I had such a

fantastic summer and one that I will

remember. I can’t believe with all that

you’ve done for me that we’ve never

even met! You haven’t seen me do all of

these wonderful things all summer, and

yet you care about me and want to bring

a smile to my face. You must have a

really big heart to do all that.

Thanks for all that you’ve done for me.

When someone asks you what you did

this summer, don’t forget to tell them

all the things you did for me! You didn’t

just make a donation…you made a

difference.

P.S. I can’t wait ‘til I come back to The

Darling Home for Kids in the Fall. I

hope the Music Therapist with the

guitar will be back to sing with me.

Thanks for sending her along too!

On Behalf of The Children at The Darling Home for Kids

52 families received care,

including 4 new families

Over 125 sessions of therapeutic

programming were provided to our children, including Art Therapy, Recreation

Therapy, Music Therapy, Pet Therapy, Hydrotherapy, and

Snoezelen Therapy

Over 11,000

hours of service were provided

across all of our programs

Thank you to our donors, volunteers and friends for your continued support

which has made this possible!

Our PatronsThank you to our generous Patrons whose support is instrumental in enabling us to be an oasis of comfort and joy for children and families.

We are super excited to share that our

brand NEW Youth Summer Volunteer

Initiative (YSVI) kicked off this summer!

The YSVI program looks to engage

youth ages 14-19 in our Home over

the summer months for one month

blocks. The YSVI program was launched

with the intention to be dual purposed.

First, in our busiest time of year, this

program provides much needed support

to our frontline staff and kids on a

consistent basis for the duration of the

summer months. Second, the program

provides youth with a once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity to be involved in a program

that provides practical life, work and

volunteer experience. The youth

underwent an application, interview

and screening process and three

successful candidates were chosen to

participate this past summer. Brianna

Kelly and Hana El Abd joined us in July

and Flavia Codreanu was our August

youth. All three youth engaged our

kids in recreational activities, outdoor

games, crafts and more, and also had

GUARDIANMichele S. Darling & her family, Michael, Daniel and Ryan Eagen

FOUNDING PATRONS

Adelt Mechanical Works Ltd.

Christian’s Dream Foundation

Closing the Gap Healthcare Group

CV Technologies – COLD fX®

Dr. Jay Charitable Foundation

Hershey Canada Inc.

HOK Canada Urbana Architects Inc.

Labatt Breweries of Canada

The Longo’s Family Charitable Foundation

Youth Summer Volunteer Initiative

The Corporate Volunteer Program at

The Darling Home for Kids enables the

Home to welcome corporations wanting

to give their employees a volunteer

experience like no other. Opportunities

range from a few hours to a full day

and we have numerous experiences

available.

Corporate groups assist us in a variety

of ways including outdoor maintenance

and gardening, indoor cleaning, cooking,

holiday decorating, event preparation

and clean-up, and so much more! Our

groups are invaluable to our Home and

provide hours of work!

From April 2016 to present we have

already welcomed 14 groups into the

Home and many more are in the making!

For additional information on the

Corporate Volunteer Program contact

Erin at ehuber@darlinghomeforkids.ca

Calling All Corporations!

Barbara and William MacLean

Mattamy Homes

Novus Canada

The Ontario Trillium Foundation

Rotary Clubs of Ontario

UPS Canada

The Max Ward Family

West Mall Oldtimers

Anonymous

DISTINGUISHED PATRONPCL Constructors Canada Inc.

AMBASSADOR PATRONMonte Carlo Hotel Motel Innternational

the opportunity to plan activities, learn

from our frontline staff and spend time

shadowing our complementary therapists.

The youth provided care and support

to our kids Monday to Friday from

9:00 am to 5:00 pm and had the

opportunity to continue in our regular

volunteer program following the

completion of their YSVI experience.

Over the course of the summer these

three young ladies made a combined

contribution of 512 hours! WOW!!

Interested in the YSVI program for

Summer 2017? Visit our website for more

information: www.darlinghomeforkids.ca/ysvi

Hanna and Breanna with Faith

A group from Sherwin Williams spent some time painting our play house

Employees from Dufferin Aggregates volunteered their time to create a wheelchair accessible trail

www.darlinghomeforkids.ca

www.darlinghomeforkids.ca

July 26th, 2016, proved to be a

glorious summer day as 120 golfers

hit the greens and enjoyed a round of

golf in support of The Darling Home

for Kids at the 19th Annual Charity

Golf Tournament presented by K-G

Spray-Pak.

Hosted again this year at the

exclusive Greystone Golf Club in

Milton, with stunning surroundings

amidst the rolling hills of the Niagara

Escarpment, the event was a

wonderful success!

Golfing ‘Fore’ Residential Care

Our goal for this year’s tournament

was to raise essential funds needed

to support our recently expanded

residential program; providing a safe,

loving and nurturing home for fragile

children living with medical complexities.

In the game of golf, it’s the follow-

through that counts, and we are

immensely grateful to all who

participated and contributed to this

memorable event.

19th Annual Charity Golf Tournament Raises $50,000

SAVE THE DATE! Join us on Tuesday,

July 18th, 2017 as our Golf Tournament

Celebrates its 20th Year!

Learn more at www.darlinghomeforkids.ca/golf

Creative. Branding. Results.

Thank You To Our Sponsors:

Dreaming Big and Pedalling HardThank You for Supporting our 6th Annual Wheels Event!

www.darlinghomeforkids.ca

What a remarkable day it was on

June 26th, 2016, when 57 cyclists hit

the pavement to enjoy a scenic ride

through the backroads of the Niagara

Escarpment in support of The Darling

Home for Kids and the 6th Annual

Wheels event presented by

Mattamy Homes! Expanded this

year to include community

participation at our new

venue, the Mattamy

National Cycling Centre,

the event was an amazing

success raising $60,000

for the Home!

Thank You To Our Sponsors:

Proceeds from this year’s Wheels

Event will support additional essential

upgrades to the Home, and help to

ensure that respite, palliative and

residential care is available to families

when they need it the most.

This year’s achievements represent the

growth and continued potential of this

event and we are so excited to see what

next year’s ride will bring!

SAVE THE DATE FOR WHEELS 2017 – SUNDAY, JUNE 25TH, 2017!

You Can Make A World of Difference

Join Our Kaleidoscope Community Today!Did you know... a group of butterflies is called a Kaleidoscope?

The Darling Home for Kids is located on a butterfly migration path,

and the butterfly incorporated into our branding is symbolic of the

beauty, fragility, and wonder that our kids represent.

When you choose to make monthly gifts to The Darling Home

for Kids, you are joining an elite community of like-minded

individuals dedicated to providing consistent, reliable resources

to help care for our medically fragile and technology dependent

children.

A donation each month, no matter the amount, adds up to a

world of difference.

Sign up Today! www.darlinghomeforkids.ca/monthlygiving

Creative. Branding. Results.

Visit www.darlinghomeforkids.ca/wheels for more information.

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Mail completed forms to: The Darling Home for Kids 5657 15th Side Road, Milton, Ontario L9T 2X7

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“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

-Helen Keller

It’s no secret raising a child who is medically

fragile is a difficult journey. The road is

definitely not paved! That said, we have

met some extraordinary parents who,

even when they struggle, still find time to

inspire others on their journey. One such

parent is Heidi Blackburn. Heidi has shown

her gratitude in tremendous ways and in

doing so she has introduced many kind and

generous people to support The Darling

Home for Kids. We feel blessed to know

her, and her son Callum, who participates

in our respite program, and we have been

fortunate to get to know her kind and

generous friends. From volunteering on

our Family Circle Committee, offering

to be our family speaker at some of our

events, and hosting her own events in

support of our organization, Heidi is an

inspiration to us all. Collectively, Heidi’s

efforts have raised more than $50,000

for The Darling Home for Kids. Heidi, you

are special to us in every way - thank you

for being who you are!

✁

CHARITABLE REGISTRATION NUMBER: 888524840RR0001

Help Us Grant Wishes for Our KidsIt’s that time of year again, and The Darling Home for Kids is excited to launch the 2nd Annual Adopt A Wish Challenge!

Our fundraising goal is $20,000! Will you help us reach it?

The Adopt A Wish Challenge will run between November 1st, 2016 and March 31st, 2017, and this year, we open up the challenge to everyone!

It’s easy, and it’s fun! Simply register here, create your personal fundraising page, set a fundraising goal, and request support from your family, friends and colleagues! Your contacts will have the option to join your fundraising efforts by registering a page of their own, or make a donation to you! All funds raised will help us to purchase much-needed items on our Wish List, including sessions of therapeutic programming, specialized medical equipment, and funding that is needed to help us maintain our special home.

For more information or to register, visit www.darlinghomeforkids.ca/adoptawish

“When I was contacted by The Darling Home for Kids to participate in the first ever Adopt A Wish Challenge, I jumped at the opportunity. The Home is very close to my heart and the work they do is phenomenal. The money helps pay for much needed equipment or therapists, and the joy in the child’s face when they participate in these activities is so worth it.”

- Kelly Gray, 2015 Adopt A Wish Challenge Participant

Calling All Families, Donors and Volunteers!

Heidi and members of St. Vincent School Community recently raised $12,000 for the Home from a Ladies Night Out event

A Mom Who Does It All – Heidi Blackburn